The Journals of Thomas Babington Macaulay Vol 1

William Thomas

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781138761377
• eBook ISBN: 9781000419603
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

Presents the candid diary of Thomas Macaulay, Victorian statesman, historian and author of "The History of England". This work shows how, spanning the period 1838 to 1859, the journal is the longest work from Macaulay's pen. It states that these unique manuscripts held at Trinity College, Cambridge, are most revealing of all his writings. Volume 1 includes an Introduction and entries for 20 October 1838–12 June 1840.

ABBREVIATIONS IN THE NOTES

• Add. MSS Additional MSS, British Library, London.
• Boase F. Boase, Modern English Biogmphy, 6 vols (1892; London, 1965).
• Carlisle Journal of the 7 th Earl of Carlisle, Casde Howard Archives.
• CHE T. B. Macaulay, Critical and Historical Essays: Contributed to the Edinburgh Review, 4th edn, 3 vols (London, 1846).
• Clive John Clive, Thomas Babington Macaulay: The Shaping of the Historian (London, 1973).
• CW The Works of Lord Macaulay, Complete, ed. Lady Trevelyan, 8 vols (London, 1866).
• DNB Dictionary of National Biography.
• ER Edinburgh Review.
• Greville Charles Greville, The Greville Memoirs, 1814-1860, ed. L. Strachey and R. Fulford, 8 vols (London, 1938).
• HE T. B. Macaulay, The History of Englandfom the Accession of James II, 5 vols (London, 1849-61).
• LM The Letters of Thomas; Babington Macaulay, ed. Thomas Pinney, 6 vols (Cambridge, 1974-81).
• MC Morning Chronicle.
• MW T. B. Macaulay, Miscellaneous Writings, 2 vols (London, 1860).
• NLS National Library of Scodand.
• PD Parliamentary Debates.
• QR Quarterly Review.
• SC Sale Catalogue of Macaulay’s Library (1863).
• TBM Thomas Babington Macaulay.
• TCM Macaulay MSS, Trinity College, Cambridge.
• Trevelyan G. O. Trevelyan, Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay, 2 vols (1876; Oxford, 1978).

1838 Paris

[On 2 May 1837 Macaulay completed his work on the Indian Penal Code, his last and most important duty as Law Member of the Governor-General’s Council. He decided it was time to send in his resignation to the Director of the Board of Control and return home. He sailed from Calcutta on 17 January 1838 after exactly four years’ service in India. He arrived in London on 4 June to the news that his father had died three weeks before. He was now head of the family and responsible for two unmarried sisters and the general prosperity of his siblings. Professionally he could return to a career in the law or go back to politics. But he had gone to India to earn his independence of both these pursuits and had begun to hope that, with the money he had saved from his salary and a £10,000 legacy from his uncle Colin, he could devote himself to literature. He had begun the poems which became the Lays of Ancient Rome; he had a small but secure income as the most notable contributor to the Edinburgh Review; and he had formed the idea of a work of English history along the lines of an article on ‘History’ which he had published in 1828. He seems to have decided on the Italian tour, ostensibly to gather background material for his Lays, but in reality to take stock and clarify his plans. He left London on 11 October 1838.]

Saturday - October 20

Up early, packed, breakfasted, paid a most unconscionable bill, but did not think it worth a dispute. Was off before ten. Read Boiardo¹ on the journey. A dull cloudy day and a dull dirty road, but I passed two or three country houses which, with their grounds, had a very good effect and might have been English seats of wealthy families. Saw litde interesting till I came to the forest. The extent of the domain is very imposing. The trees are fine: and they looked all the better for the season. The variety of tints from the darkest green to the brightest yellow was very striking. At half after three I came to Fontainebleau, a neat town, - and alighted at a decent looking quiet inn, very clean, where I was civilly received. I strolled out to see the chateau having heard much of Louis Philippe’s improvements; but was grievously disappointed. His improvements seemed to have been all internal. For nothing uglier or meaner than the outside of the place was ever seen. Kensington is a Windsor by comparison. There are no fine paintings I believe, for the Gallery of the Louvre has been enriched at the expense of every other public building in France; and as to mere furniture, glass, gilding, and the sort of painting which the French from the King down to the restaurateur lavish on their walls, I do not care to see that sort of finery. The evening too was closing in, so I went back to my Hotel, dined at five, wrote part of a letter to Hannah,² and went early to bed in order to be off early in the morning.

1. Matteo Maria Boiardo (c. 1441-94), Italian poet, author of the chivalrous epic poem, Orlando Innamorato. TBM was reading Antonio Panizzis edition of Boiardo s Orlando Innamorato diBojardo. Orlando Furioso di Ariosto, 9 vols (1830-4) for an article in the Edinburgh Review (hereafter ER) that was never written. See The Letters of Thomas Babington Macaulay (hereafter LM), ed. T. Pinney, 6 vols (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1974-81), vol. 3, pp. 259,261.

2. TBM's sister.

Sunday - October 21

I did not get off quite as early as I expected, owing to the difficulty under which the postmaster was about providing horses for the Duke of Sutherland¹ and his enormous train. I set off however, and was soon in the middle of the forest when looking out behind me I saw the whole of this princely travelling party following me - four carriages and a van attended by a courier. My caléche had the precedency and had a right to keep it. But I thought it hard to keep fifteen or sixteen people back for the advantage of one, and I told my postillion to break the way. He said something unintelligible but went on in the same way until in the middle of the long stage we stopped, at a half-way house. There I insisted on letting the Duke pass. Civilities, such as the case admitted, passed between me and their Graces.

1. George Granville Leveson-Gower (1786-1861), second Duke of Sutherland.

But when we came to the end of the stage the Duke sent his man to offer me any services in his power. I went to them and had a little chat. He expressed fear of causing me great embarrassment and begged to know if he could do anything for me as to post-horses or accommodation at inns. I thanked him, but declined. I breakfasted here at Fossard to give him time to get on. Found at Fossard an English hostler and a smart civil chambermaid who has learned to talk very pretty English, the hostler and Cupid, I imagine, being her teachers. I had to wait some time while the handle of my carriage-door was put to rights. Then I went on through a rather dull country and under an exceedingly dull sky. No bold scenery - and none of the drapery which makes even tame English scenery so charming - no hedges - the trees chiefly poplars which abound in this country to an extraordinary extent. I cannot conceive why. It is the ugliest of trees; and I never heard that it has any particular value, either for carpenter’s work or as fire-wood. My route lay along the Yonne a considerable stream to be so far inland. At Villeneuve-le Roc I met with an accident or rather discovered that I had met with one. Some of the iron of my carriage had given way: and a smith pounced upon me as soon as I came to the poste aux chevaux and had me to his work-shop. He promised that the job should be done in an hour, and kept me there five hours, in the dullest of country towns with all the blackguard boys in the street assembled to stare at the Englishman. They thought me a fair subject for plunder as well as staring. One old hag asked three franks for an end of tallow-candle, and when at last my scoundrel of a smith had finished his job, which to do him justice he seemed to perform in a workmanlike manner, he had the face to ask 80 franks for it. I gave him a good deal less, but thrice [twice]² as much as I ought to have given him, abused him well, and drove off - by night to Joigny. There I alighted, a very tolerable hotel, wrote a few hasty lines to Hannah, had a good supper and went to bed.

2. TBM wrote twice’ and substituted ‘thrice’.

Monday - October 22

Up - breakfasted - and on the road by seven. A thick fog and cold wind. I felt quite chilled. At Auxerre found that the Duke had carried off all the postillions and that I must wait till some of them came back. I wandered about the town, looked into three of the churches. All were old and in some sense interesting. But one - the Cathedral I imagine, is very noble indeed, and reminded me of my favourite St Ouen.¹ Here too there was no screen - none I mean which intercepted the view. Saw the first nuns that I ever fell in with. When I reached the poste aux chevaux again I found that the postillions had returned. I started in a few minutes and just at that time the sun broke out gloriously. I had not had an hour of fine weather since I reached France; and I may therefore have thought the scenery through which I travelled today more beautiful than it is. But I was greatly pleased with it. It is generally too naked undoubtedly and where it is well wooded poplars bear far too great a proportion to other trees. But the successive ranges of hills covered with vineyards and commanding immense prospects, the well watered and wooded valleys, the little white towns and villages with their old churches, all seen through a singularly clear air by the light of an unclouded sun were very delightful to me who had seen nothing but mist and rain and clouds since I set out on my travels. The roads from Auxerre to Avallon have a very bad name: but I found them tolerable by comparison with others which are of much better repute. Indeed they are strangely negligent of the roads in this country. Much public money goes for public works of a showy kind. The Capital and the palaces near the Capital have been prodigiously embellished since I was last on the continent - The Arch at Neuilly, the Church of the Magdalene, the Louvre, the Place Louis Quinze, Versailles, Fontainebleau must have cost enormous sums, but the roads, even those which are most frequented and which connect the most important places are far inferior to the fourth-rate roads of England and I am told, are not to be compared with the roads of Switzerland and Italy. I reached Avallon towards four o’clock, and found that all the post horses were out, thirty two in number. The Duke takes eighteen for his share. I determined accordingly to stay the night, to start by five i...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Bibliography
• A Note on the Text
• Abbreviations in the Journals
• Abbreviations in the Notes